French school, ca. 1880.

French school, ca. 1880.
Probably made in Dieppe.
"Water carrier".
Sculpture in ivory.
Gilded elements.
It has traces of polychrome on the skirt, the scarf, the jug and the stick.
With CITES.
Measurements: 30 x 8 x 8 cm.

Work of exquisite delicacy, the virtuosity of the ivory carving links it to the Dieppe school, renowned throughout Europe for the finesse of its carving and the subtlety of its orientalist motifs.

The theme of the water-bearer, an iconographic motif widely explored in the European sculptural tradition, finds here an exotic reinterpretation. Since ancient times, this figure has symbolized fertility and domestic life.

The figure, with graceful lines and idealized proportions, represents a half-naked oriental woman, captured in full movement while carrying a jug of water and leaning on a rustic staff. The slight contrapposto accentuates the sinuousness of the pose, evoking echoes of ancient statuary. The skirt, the scarf and the pitcher retain traces of the original polychrome, whose delicate chromatic range brings accents of realism that dialogue with the polished sensuality of the ivory.

The golden elements (bracelets, tiara, border of the vase) underline its orientalist and exotic imprint, so celebrated by the bourgeoisie of the Second Empire and the Belle Époque. The crescent moon crowning the diadem stands out: an ambiguous symbol that, beyond its oriental connotation, could suggest a veiled allusion to Minerva, goddess of wisdom and strategy, a syncretic re-reading that links the Orient and Antiquity in a single feminine archetype.

Dated around 1880, the piece is part of the rich tradition of polychrome decorative sculpture of the late 19th century, recently re-evaluated thanks to the Musée d'Orsay exhibition, En couleur. La sculpture polychrome en France, 1850-1910, which has revalued the dialogue between modern polychromy and classical heritage.